Drought threatens wildlife, ecosystems

FILE -- In this Jan. 9, 2014 file photo a visitor to Folsom Lake, Calif., walks his dog down a boat ramp that is now several hundred yards away from the waters edge, in Folsom, Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown was governor the last time California had a drought of epic proportions, in 1975-76 and now is pushing a controversial $25 billion plan to build twin tunnels to ship water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to farmland and cities further south. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli,file)
The Associated Press

FILE -- In this Jan. 9, 2014 file photo a visitor to Folsom Lake, Calif., walks his dog down a boat ramp that is now several hundred yards away from the waters edge, in Folsom, Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown was governor the last time California had a drought of epic proportions, in 1975-76 and now is pushing a controversial $25 billion plan to build twin tunnels to ship water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to farmland and cities further south. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli,file)

SACRAMENTO  California’s persistent drought threatens to take a heavy toll on the environment as well as the economy.

Welcome storms that just swept across the state will certainly provide some respite, but more are desperately needed. The latest snowpack readings are coming in at less than a third of normal and March is usually winter’s last gasp.

“The short-term impacts are obvious. But the real question is going to be what the longer term effects will be, especially for terrestrial wildlife. That depends on how long and how severe the drought becomes,” said Dan Yparraguirre, a biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Ultimately all species will be affected. It’s a matter of degree.”

The threats are as diverse as the environment itself. Among those: plummeting salmon runs, disease outbreaks in waterfowl and big horn sheep, the loss of newborns in big game, reduced hydropower generation, bark beetle invasions and firestorms fueled by deadwood in stressed forests.

Moreover, there are potential risks to water quality, fears of increased air pollution in the already dusty Central Valley, and a possible buildup of salinity in rivers that could be detrimental to fish and humans.

“Animals are only in as good condition as the resources allow them to be,” said Craig Stowers a state biologist.

Fish are clearly threatened, particularly salmon runs that rely on steady flows of cool water. But with little extra to release out of reservoirs, river temperatures could rise and literally fry out-migrating juveniles. That’s one reason why water managers are holding back a small pool of water for this summer just in case. Some streams and rivers have also been closed to fishing.

Further out, the valuable commercial salmon fishing industry could be shutdown to preserve stocks. That occurred in 2008-09, leaving boats dry-docked to give what was left of the winter-run a chance to rebound in the ocean before returning upstream to spawn. Some rivers and streams are already closed to recreational fishing.

The state is preparing to undertake fish rescues — capturing them in shallow waters and trying to safely transport them to deeper waters closer to the ocean.

Ironically, the Delta smelt — the most maligned species in the state’s water wars — thus far appears safer. That’s because winter flows in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are not carrying it toward the deadly state and federal pumps near Tracy. No pumping restrictions are in place to protect the smelt currently, but that’s only because there is so little water to push out of the delta and on to Central Valley farms and Southern California cities.

These fish protection strategies, however, have come under fire from those who believe overzealous safeguards should give way to policies that prioritize use for farms and cities. Congressional Republicans have mounted a campaign to do just that, plus build more reservoirs.

“Congress can’t pass a bill to make it rain, but we can pass a bill to put an end to the water shortages that have been caused by misguided regulatory decisions,” Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, said in one floor debate.

State and federal refuges are also drying up. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has said it can deliver only 40 percent of normal supplies to those preserves that provide valuable habitat for hundreds of waterfowl species. It’s also a double-whammy: rice growers, whose flooded fields are routinely occupied by birds, are also seeing less water. And that also means later in the fall there will be less dry land food sources and habitat for nesting birds that stake out spots in the Sacramento Valley.

Disease is another mounting concern. Every time animals crowd together, such as now as they compete for shrinking wetlands, deadly diseases can spread.

“The potential is pretty sobering,” said Holly Heyser, editor of California Waterfowl magazine. There was an outbreak just recently in the Tule Lake refuge near the Oregon border.

Similar fears are unfolding out in the Mojave Desert desert as officials scramble to provide more watering holes for bighorn sheep. The bighorn are gathering around the few full human-provided watering holes, called “guzzlers.” But the tight quarters could lead to an outbreak of a deadly pneumonia type of disease. The concern is not without justification — last summer at least 33 bighorn were killed by pneumonia in the Mojave Desert.

“We’re figuring out how to make sure there is enough water in this tough time,” said Chuck Bonham, director of the state Fish and Wildlife Department.

Bonham’s department manages about one million acres of refuges that are also used by bird watchers, duck hunters and others. The problem is the state’s water supplies, some of which are delivered by the Bureau of Reclamation, are being squeezed.

“We’re figuring out how to do more with less,” Bonham said.

The drought’s effects may linger for some time, particularly with bigger game, from deer to bears. Healthy animals can withstand some deprivation of food and water. But females especially, if weakened over time, would then produce few offspring. And those young would have a lower survival rate.

Large predators that feed on smaller animals could find dinner harder to come by. If the eagles, bobcats and coyotes are forced to switch prey, that could result in declining numbers of the smaller animals and much more competition for food. Bears, with the springlike temperatures for much of the last two months, have been prowling for limited food and not in their annual hibernation pattern.

Animals with short life spans that produce large litters may see drops in population. But since they produce so many young, the impact may temporary.

Their home forests are in danger on a number of fronts.

Mark Schwartz, a plant ecologist at the University of California, Davis, explained that low soil moisture content stresses trees to such a point that they lose some of their natural disease fighting capabilities. As a result, they are more vulnerable to invasions of pests like the notorious bark beetle,

“As a consequence, tree mortality increases and we have more dead wood — fuel for wildfire,” he said.

That scary scenario is already happening in other parts of the West, he said.

“I am on the edge of my seat when drought happens, as, eventually, it will trigger one of the big outbreaks of pests or pathogens that we have seen ravage forests of the desert Southwest or Northern Rockies,” Schwartz said. “Thus far we have been fortunate. I hope we continue to be fortunate.”